Councilor Bob Stacey

Metro Council District 6

News

Portland-area leaders met Friday to discuss a dry forecast for funding the region's transportation needs, as Metro continues work on a major update of the region's 20-year transportation vision. The presentation took a unique approach.

The grants are aimed at eliminating barriers to development, including zoning changes that could create “missing middle” housing for mid-income residents, evaluation of regulations that could spark more development and implementation of streamlined permitting for affordable housing projects.

The Metro Council is looking at ways to get more food out of the garbage. From how much goes to the landfill to how much gets collected, here’s a look at some key numbers related to food that gets tossed – and collected – in the Portland metropolitan area.

One in five Oregonians lacks reliable access to nutritious food. At the same time, food, much of which could still be consumed, accounts for nearly a fifth of all garbage in the greater Portland region.

Metro’s Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee, or TPAC, is seeking community volunteers interested in transportation issues. Three community-member appointments are open for two-year terms starting in January. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 9, 2016. The Metro Council expects to make the appointments in January.

Instead of scraping those onion peels and chicken bones into bins of garbage that end up in a landfill, the scraps at the Grapevine Cafe in Milwaukie go into separate bins, and from there, get turned into compost. It’s something more than 1,000 businesses in greater Portland do, and it’s something Metro Council would like to see more of.

The Metro Council was briefed Tuesday on a proposal for its first round of Equitable Housing and Development Grants. The grants come from a small construction tax that helps pay for planning around greater Portland.

As the proposed Southwest Corridor light rail project proceeds into a detailed environmental impact review, a committee of community members will play an important role in guiding its progress. Now is the time to apply to join.

Whether your roots in the region run generations deep or you moved to Oregon last week, you have your own reasons for loving this place – and Metro wants to keep it that way. Help shape the future of the greater Portland region and discover tools, services and places that make life better today.